French Fridays – oeufs en cocotte aux champignons

As the temperatures get cooler, I’m ready for a bit of what the French call “le cocooning” (basically being a homebody which I already am but even more so in the winter) and of course, along with that, goes comfort food. In the winter months, I love nothing more than a leisurely breakfast that’s a bit more substantial than toast and cereal but nothing that requires too much work. This is where variations on a favourite recipe – oeufs en cocotte – from In the French kitchen with kids come into play…

Oeufs en Cocotte – wait, what?

Actually it’s is how you say “Baked Eggs” in French and while it might sound complicated, it couldn’t be easier (this is true about many French dishes)! It’s really easy to make these based on what you have in your fridge – those little bits and pieces of cheese and those last few veggies work really well here. Today’s recipe came about exactly because I had a few mushrooms leftover from another dish and a drizzle of heavy cream needing to be used. One of my favourite sauces is a creamy mushroom sauce and since baked eggs are better with cream, I figured why not combine the two? The result is a super easy dish that tastes great and can be prepared as your morning coffee brews.

Yield: Serves 2

Baked eggs with mushrooms - Oeufs en cocotte aux champignons

A quick and easy breakfast or brunch dish that even the kids can help make! Oeufs en Cocotte is how you say “Baked Eggs” in French and while is might sound complicated, it couldn’t be easier!

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 oz (227 g) cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence or dried thyme

Flaky sea salt, for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning

2 tablespoons heavy (35%) cream

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons freshly grated cheese of your choosing

Finely chopped chives, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C).

Generously grease two 1/2-cup (125 mL) ramekins, place on a baking tray and set aside.

In a small skillet heat the oil and butter over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they are browned and have released most of their juices.

Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper and set mixture aside until slightly cooled.

Divide mushroom mixture between the ramekins, saving about 1 tablespoon for garnish.

Pour 1 tablespoon cream in each ramekin on top of the mushrooms.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the cream and mushrooms.

Crack the egg on top of the cheese, being careful not to break the yolk.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until the egg white is cooked. The yolk may still be a little runny.

Sprinkle the remainder of the mushroom mixture over the top of the ramekin and garnish with chopped chives.

Notes

Note that the ramekins I use for this are approx 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) high

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